Adkins - Pros and Cons

[Woodcote Royal]

Adkins is a one trick pony.

Nothing was ever going to change significantly tonight; not because of lack of options but because the manager only wants to play one way. He has never been any different since the day he arrived.

We have had worse squads than this but previous managers have recognised, as any manager at this level must, that you have to play to the strengths of the players at your disposal.

We haven't just marked time under Adkins we have gone backwards.

Who remembers this team and what it achieved?

Hahnemann
Murty
Sonko
Ingermarsson
Shorey
Little
Harper
Sidwell
Convey/Hunt
Kitson
Doyle

We had all of Pardew, Coppell, McDermott & Hammond to thank for that team and you can add Wally Downes for making them good enough defensively to finish a point shy of making the EUFA Cup.

Good teams, like the one above, are built from the back but defend from the front. There is simply NO excuse for what we have witnessed in our own penalty area for most of Adkin's tenure.

Who remembers the howls of "No Ambition!! (eh, Royal Blue ) when the likes of Dave Kitson was signed from Cambridge. I wouldn't mind betting that we could have paid all that team with change to spare from what we fork out for the largely useless Pog

I'd still turn up every week to see the 106 regardless of what it would cost me in lost earnings whereas Adkins version of total football is tantamount to watching paint dry.

Who remembers Glen Little away to Wolves, surrounded by 3 defenders and beating them all or, his peach of a cross that allowed Lita to score off Coles? shin at the Bridge? There's more chance of hell freezing over than witnessing the like again while Adkins remains at the helm.

Shame on those who slag off the Reading way that produced the best team ever to grace this league, in favour of what we have witnessed since McDermott was sacked.

I wish I could say I was disappointed with tonight's result but I'm not as anything that hastens Adkins departure is now a blessing in disguise.

I want my club back and I want to sit in my seat again, neither of which will happen unless Adkin's goes.

[RG7Fan]

How did we concede another 3 goals? Was everyone shit or was it the back 4 again (or just Gunter?).

Time for bed child school in the morning

Who's the child? Me for asking a genuine question or you for being facetious ...

[marcusopp]

Speaking as a defender myself, the goals you concede are rarely down to an individual, unless it's a complete gaffe.
All eleven players are responsible for defending, whether it be closing the ball down high up the pitch or communicating well.
When i've lead teams, i've always insisted that no one should be more than 10 yards away from a colleague. That way there's always someone to back you up if you lose the ball, or someone gets past you. Under McD we'd retreated very quickly to the half way line, as an entire team. Under Orange we seem too spread out, making it easy for the opposition to pick passes through us and create opportunities.
Get rid of this arrogant tw@t now!

[Scutterbucketz]

I want my club back and I want to sit in my seat again, neither of which will happen unless Adkin's goes.

Adkins is sitting in your seat? The scouse pcunt!

Unless you are McD, in which case I'd like to claim my £5.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

To be fair since Coppell left it has been down hill all the way, despite winning the league with Mcd. Now seeing players sell for £2mill instead of £5million from those acquired during Coppell time.
Perhaps his legacy is past, and the Coppell way is over.

[CzechRoyal]

The BBC said this on the game report 'It was all smiles for the home supporters, but the opposite for the away fans, who voiced their dissatisfaction with a manager who has now failed to guide his team to victory in six games.' I personally didn't here any of this apart from a couple of ironic chants. Very obvious of what the BBC thinks......

[RoyalBlue]

It's incredible how much of the Adkins out momentum seems to be driven by people's perception of his personality.

Those calling for his head seem incapable of suggesting any realistic alternatives and blind to many of the root causes of the problems. So we 'have to have a manager who will play to the strengths of the players'. Well actually Adkins is playing to the strengths of many of our players. Thankfully an awful lot of the current team are very comfortable on the ball and are able to pass it well. However, too few seem to have a strength when it comes to defending! Is that because they are crap players or could it be that they are just out of form. In either case the obvious solution for the overwhelming majority of managers would be to drop them and bring someone else in from the squad. Yet still the lynch mob can't spot the blindingly obvious. We don't have other players available - something Gooding repeatedly pointed out last night. Is that Adkins' fault or is it the fault of the owners?

After the game last night we once again heard the stock phrase 'Nick Hammond is working really hard'. Yet still (as is nearly always the case) we see no sign of any additions to the squad. Is this because Hammond is absolutely crap at his job (I believe the majority would say no) or is it because he is trying to do his job with both hands securely tied behind his back in terms of the financial constraints imposed on him by the owners and chairman?

[under the tin]

It's incredible how much of the Adkins out momentum seems to be driven by people's perception of his personality.
....... we see no sign of any additions to the squad. Is this because .... he is trying to do his job with both hands securely tied behind his back in terms of the financial constraints imposed on him by the owners and chairman?

This is a far more logical observation of the way things are, better than trying to put it down to Adkins somehow having the "wrong DNA" for the Reading job.

[Sanguine]

Big Yes to Dolan - Adkins has to go - sorry but getting dicked 3-0 by Bournemouth and 3-1 by Brentford is unacceptable - end of!

The modern football fan, ladies and gentlemen.

[Martin41]

Speaking as a defender myself, the goals you concede are rarely down to an individual, unless it's a complete gaffe.
All eleven players are responsible for defending, whether it be closing the ball down high up the pitch or communicating well.
When i've lead teams, i've always insisted that no one should be more than 10 yards away from a colleague. That way there's always someone to back you up if you lose the ball, or someone gets past you. Under McD we'd retreated very quickly to the half way line, as an entire team. Under Orange we seem too spread out, making it easy for the opposition to pick passes through us and create opportunities.
Get rid of this arrogant tw@t now!

As your a defender, bring your boots on Saturday!

[Pepe the Horseman]

People say Dolan but I am sure that when he came in for McD for the Man Utd game, he said he wouldn't want to manage the first team?

Think that's just because Bri was his bff and he felt like he'd be betraying him.

[WoodleyRoyal]

you people, we were expecting a difficult season and i think the vast majority expected a mid to lower half of the table finish. I fully anticipate things will improve we will end up in the top half come the end of the season maybe even challenging for a playoff spot. Adkins is the right man and the best man for the job. It makes absolutley no sense to get rid now judge him on his final league placing.

[Pepe the Horseman]

[WoodleyRoyal]

not you pepe <3

[wingnut]

It's incredible how much of the Adkins out momentum seems to be driven by people's perception of his personality.

Those calling for his head seem incapable of suggesting any realistic alternatives and blind to many of the root causes of the problems. So we 'have to have a manager who will play to the strengths of the players'. Well actually Adkins is playing to the strengths of many of our players. Thankfully an awful lot of the current team are very comfortable on the ball and are able to pass it well. However, too few seem to have a strength when it comes to defending! Is that because they are crap players or could it be that they are just out of form. In either case the obvious solution for the overwhelming majority of managers would be to drop them and bring someone else in from the squad. Yet still the lynch mob can't spot the blindingly obvious. We don't have other players available - something Gooding repeatedly pointed out last night. Is that Adkins' fault or is it the fault of the owners?

After the game last night we once again heard the stock phrase 'Nick Hammond is working really hard'. Yet still (as is nearly always the case) we see no sign of any additions to the squad. Is this because Hammond is absolutely crap at his job (I believe the majority would say no) or is it because he is trying to do his job with both hands securely tied behind his back in terms of the financial constraints imposed on him by the owners and chairman?

I don't get this attitude that because someone can't think of an alternative they don't have the right to say how unhappy they are with Adkins in charge. It's not as if the club consults us before appointing anyone or scours Hob Nob to see what the prevailing mood is. When Rodgers was given the boot, absolutely no one on here suggested Bri should be his replacement and there was a large amount of hostility to his appointment - with many (probably including you but I can't be arsed to check) suggesting it was only because it was the cheap option.
I believe the club and Adkins should've worked harder to bolster the defence over the summer and that Ferdinand was a ludicrous signing - a complete and utter waste of wages so far and although we didn't have to pay a transfer fee, he would've commanded a signing on fee and (probably) hefty wages. It was - and is - obvious that we need more cover for the left back as well as in the middle of defence.
Oh and still apportioning SJM blame for the current spending policy of the club is, of course, utterly bonkers.

[Hendo]

People say Dolan but I am sure that when he came in for McD for the Man Utd game, he said he wouldn't want to manage the first team?

Think that's just because Bri was his bff and he felt like he'd be betraying him.

Ah. I see.

I felt like that nugget of information got lost somewhere but that could be why.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Ferdinand wasn't adkins signing HTH

[under the tin]

Oh and still apportioning SJM blame for the current spending policy of the club is, of course, utterly bonkers.

FYI,
SJM is co-chairman, has a seat on the board, and was at pains to point out at the TV interview he did with the Thai woman that they wished to continue in the same way as the club had been run, pre-Zingarevitch. Watch the interview again.

[wingnut]

Oh and still apportioning SJM blame for the current spending policy of the club is, of course, utterly bonkers.

FYI,
SJM is co-chairman, has a seat on the board, and was at pains to point out at the TV interview he did with the Thai woman that they wished to continue in the same way as the club had been run, pre-Zingarevitch. Watch the interview again.

Righto, so the Thais have a sum of money they're itching to spend, but SJM's there saying "no, for god's sake, put your money away, there's no need for that"

[genome]

Umm... Have we actually had a transfer window with the Thai's in charge officially?